The essence of the diet is that every day you should eat mainly protein foods - a lot of fish, meat and low-fat dairy products. All of these products are very nutritious, satiate for a long time, so you do not feel hungry. But the body, deprived of carbohydrates and fats, begins to use its own fat reserves for additional energy.
The role of proteins in the body
Life without protein is impossible. The importance of proteins to the body is that they serve as the building blocks for building cells, tissues and organs, the formation of enzymes, most hormones, hemoglobin and other substances that perform the most important functions in the body. Proteins and their role in the body is also that they are involved in protecting the body from infections and also promote the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Our vital activity is linked to the continuous intake and renewal of protein. To compensate for these processes, protein losses must be replenished daily. Unlike fats and carbohydrates, it does not accumulate and is not synthesized in the body from other nutrients, that is, you can get protein only with food.
The duration of the protein diet
Typically, protein-type diets are prescribed in detail for a week or two. The menu is not very varied: experts advise, if anything, to eat the same menu in the second week as in the first and to follow the diet from the last day to the first.
Also, nutritionists recommend not to follow a protein diet for more than 14 days, after which you need to take a break for half a year. Only then can you resume the course.
Pros and cons of a protein diet
In addition to the usual goal of "reducing weight", a protein diet has other positive effects on the body, namely:
- improvement of the skin condition. Protein is fundamental in the body. Thanks to him, your muscles are strong and the skin does not sag. By increasing the protein content in your daily diet, you will keep your skin looking beautiful.
- calorie content. Proteins contain almost 2 times less calories than fats. And given that the body takes much more time and energy to process fats, the process of losing weight is simply inevitable.
- removal of toxins. Protein helps remove excess fluids, and therefore toxins, from the body.
- Lack of feeling of hunger. Due to the properties of the body and the long intake of proteins, the feeling of hunger comes only after a long time. And given that the protein diet consists of 4-6 meals, there is no feeling of hunger throughout the day.
There are few downsides to a protein diet. Most are based on contraindications for certain groups of people. However, they cannot be fully attributed to the minuses, since there are contraindications to the diet - there is no point in sitting on them. And if they sat down anyway, then what's the point of complaining?
So, the disadvantages of the diet include:
- Constipation. This is a common problem for people on a protein diet. The solution to this problem is to use large amounts of water or kefir. If it does not help, then the use of a laxative
- Decomposition products are not removed. The solution to this problem, as in the previous case, is the use of water in the required quantities.
- Bad breath
- diet duration. Due to its specificity, it is not recommended to sit on a protein diet for more than a month. If you use the diet only to maintain a good figure and are not trying to lose extra pounds, then this restriction does not apply to you.
This is where the downsides of the diet end. Everything else already belongs in the category of contraindications and should also be taken before a diet.
Protein diet rules
Features of the protein diet comply with the following rules:
- every meal is protein combined with other foods,
- All dishes should be prepared fat-free, your fat content per day is 30 g. That is 1 - 2 tbsp. l. Oils as a salad dressing
- until 2 p. m. it is allowed to eat complex carbohydrates in the form of cereals (rice, buckwheat, oatmeal) 4 - 6 tbsp. L ,
- You can use vegetables that do not contain starch (or with a minimum percentage of it) - cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, cabbage and lettuce,
- of fruit prefer citrus fruits or unsweetened apples (1-2 per day),
- drink plenty of water (1-2 liters per day),
- You need to eat 4 to 6 times a day, about every 3 hours,
- as spices use herbs, lemon juice, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic,
- do not drink alcohol and sweets during the diet,
- follow the table of protein content in products,
- The duration of the diet is no more than 2 weeks.
Diet in a protein diet
You need to eat at least 5 times a day, while you can afford the last meal 3 hours before the lights turn off, and breakfast can only start 30 minutes after waking up. As for the distribution of nutritional components, before lunch you should eat a small amount of carbohydrates in the form of buckwheat, brown rice or oatmeal. You can also eat some fruit before lunch. You can eat up to 40 grams of fat per day, which is enough for your body.
How to cook meals on a protein diet
For 7 days, 14 or for a month, the menu, the number of grams per serving, with a protein diet are not much different.
The first, second and third are an integral part of breakfast, lunch and dinner. The difference is only in the preparation and timing of eating.
Soup is the first item on the menu. The basis of the soup is a protein broth: fish, meat, poultry. Vegetable side dish of your choice, cabbage, aubergines, peppers, beans, eggs.
Potatoes are forbidden because of their high carbohydrate content. The absence of pasta and potatoes in the soup will not spoil the taste of vegetable soup with protein broth. Any liquid food contributes to weight loss.
With second courses, there is much more choice of products to satisfy hunger and lose weight at the same time. All recipes for dishes consist of chicken, fish, meat, eggs, cottage cheese with the addition of vegetables, herbs and spices.
The question is what to replace the side dishes? Potatoes, pasta, muesli are saturated with carbohydrates, so they are not suitable for any diet. Replace carbohydrate side dishes with vegetable dishes. Baking, cooking, stewing, for every housewife. Just be careful with the spices.
Sugar, sweet syrup and some additives, the use of which is not advisable, can be lost in the composition. The use of a variety of foods in a diet, a violation of the diet and a feeling of hunger are not noticeable.
Protein Diet Menu Options
The menu of each day consists of five meals, including a sufficient amount of protein food so that the body does not starve. The diet is very varied while consisting of the simplest and easiest to prepare dishes.
The diet is designed for a week, if you are overweight, the number of days can be increased to 14 days (2 weeks is the maximum at which you can follow a protein diet).
Menu №1 protein diet for a week (7 days)
Compose your diet so that the daily calorie content does not exceed 1000 kcal. Divide it into 5 meals so that the last one is eaten 3-4 hours before bed. For a week you can shed 5-7 kg.
| Day | meal time | menu for the day |
| 1 day | breakfast | 3 protein omelette 1 cup kefir (low fat) Tea or coffee without sugar |
| Late breakfast | 1 cup kefir or yogurt (no additives) | |
| dinner | 100 gr. boiled chicken with spices and herbs | |
| Afternoon tea | 1 apple or orange | |
| dinner | 100-150 gr. baked fish with herbs and spices. 1 cup fat-free kefir |
|
| 2 day | breakfast | 2 hard boiled eggs 1 tomato 1 wholemeal bread |
| Late breakfast | 1 cup kefir or yogurt (no additives) | |
| dinner | 100 gr. stewed meat, Tomato and pepper salad - 100 gr. |
|
| Afternoon tea | 1 apple or orange | |
| dinner | 100 gr. canned fish (you can tuna or sardinella), 100-150 gr. fresh cabbage and cucumber salad, 1 glass of kefir (fat content up to 5%) |
|
| 3 days | breakfast | Oatmeal with a handful of nuts or dried fruit. tea or coffee |
| Late breakfast | Wholemeal bread and low-fat cheese sandwich | |
| dinner | 100 g chicken breast, 1/3 cup brown rice Tomato and pepper salad - 100-150 gr. |
|
| Afternoon tea | 1 fruit, any, except bananas | |
| dinner | 100 gr. steamed fish, 1 cup cooked beans 1 cup of kefir or yogurt |
|
| day 4 | breakfast | 150 g fat-free cottage cheese, Green tea |
| Late breakfast | a handful of nuts - no more than 30 gr. | |
| dinner | Chicken broth with vegetables and chicken breast. 1 wholemeal bread |
|
| Afternoon tea | 1 apple or orange | |
| dinner | Oven-baked fish or meat. Fresh vegetable salad - cabbage, tomatoes and peppers. |
|
| day 5 | breakfast | Tomato and lettuce salad seasoned with lemon juice |
| Late breakfast | 1 cup kefir or yogurt (no additives) | |
| dinner | Broccoli cream soup with chicken breast pieces. 1 wholemeal bread |
|
| Afternoon tea | 5 pieces. any dried fruit | |
| dinner | Cabbage and green pea salad. Baked breast with cheese and tomatoes (hard cheese) |
|
| day 6 | breakfast | Omelette with 2 eggs and lean ham. Tea or coffee, all without sugar. |
| Late breakfast | 1 fruit, any, except bananas | |
| dinner | 100 gr. steamed fish, 1/3 cup cooked rice. 1 tomato |
|
| Afternoon tea | 1 cup kefir or yogurt (no additives) | |
| dinner | Stew of vegetables and meat - no more than 200 gr. kefir or yogurt |
|
| day 7 | breakfast | 150 gr. fat-free cottage cheese with dried apricots, Green tea |
| Late breakfast | a handful of nuts - no more than 30 gr. | |
| dinner | 1/3 cup buckwheat (it's better not to boil it, pour boiling water over it and leave overnight) and fish or meat of your choice | |
| Afternoon tea | 1 orange | |
| dinner | 150 g meat with lemon and herbs baked in the oven. Mix the juice of half a lemon and spices for meat, marinate the meat for 1 to 4 hours. After baking in the oven for 25-30 minutes |
Menu number 2 protein diet for a week
Another advantage of a protein diet for very fast weight loss is that you can compose a menu as you wish. There are no strict rules here. The option shown is just an example.
The serving size is about 200-250 g.
First day: morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 person(breakfast) | Coffee / tea without sweeteners + cottage cheese |
| 2 people (2nd breakfast) | Apple |
| 3 pp (lunch) | Boiled chicken breast with baked vegetables |
| 4 people (snacks) | Empty natural yoghurt |
| 5 p. p. (Dinner) | Steam fish + vegetable salad |
Second day: morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 person(breakfast) | Coffee / tea without sweeteners + yoghurt |
| 2 people (2nd breakfast) | orange |
| 3 pp (lunch) | Vegetables (baked) + veal (beef) |
| 4 people (snacks) | kefir |
| 5 p. p. (Dinner) | Fish (baked) and vegetables (natural, without heat treatment) |
Third day: morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 person(breakfast) | Coffee/tea without sweeteners + a few eggs |
| 2 people (2nd breakfast) | Grapefruit |
| 3 pp (lunch) | Baked turkey thigh + -5 tbsp. Brown rice |
| 4 people (snacks) | cottage cheese |
| 5 p. p. (Dinner) | Cabbage salad + boiled veal |
Day Four: Morning, Afternoon, Dinner, Snacks
| 1 person(breakfast) | Kefir + biscuits (2 pcs. , from oatmeal, better homemade) |
| 2 people (2nd breakfast) | Kiwi (2 pieces) |
| 3 pp (lunch) | Chicken with asparagus |
| 4 people (snacks) | fresh juice |
| 5 p. p. (Dinner) | seafood and vegetables |
Day Five: Morning, Afternoon, Dinner, Snacks
| 1 person(breakfast) | Steamed omelette with 2 eggs + tea or unsweetened coffee |
| 2 people (2nd breakfast) | Apple |
| 3 pp (lunch) | fish with bread |
| 4 people (snacks) | Ryashenka |
| 5 p. p. (Dinner) | chicken + raw vegetables |
Day Six: Morning, Afternoon, Dinner, Snacks
| 1 person(breakfast) | Cottage cheese + tea or unsweetened coffee |
| 2 people (2nd breakfast) | orange |
| 3 pp (lunch) | Baked tofu with vegetables |
| 4 people (snacks) | Yoghurt without additives |
| 5 p. p. (Dinner) | Prawns with asparagus |
Day seven: morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 person(breakfast) | Cottage cheese + tea or unsweetened coffee |
| 2 people (2nd breakfast) | Apple |
| 3 pp (lunch) | Vegetable soup + boiled beef |
| 4 people (snacks) | Kefir + Wholemeal Bread |
| 5 p. p. (Dinner) | Steam fish + vegetable salad |
Protein diet menu for 14 days
Products on the menu can be safely replaced with equivalent ones from the table of allowable ones, and the proposed dishes can be replaced with similar ones in terms of calorie content and composition. The main thing is to follow the rules: eat fractionally 5-6 times a day, drink at least 2 liters of liquid per day, do not eat prohibited foods.
| breakfast |
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| second breakfast |
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| dinner |
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| Afternoon tea |
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| dinner |
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The list of allowed products is so diverse that it is not difficult to come up with a detailed menu of a protein diet for yourself, there is room for imagination to "roam". Gradual compliance with a protein diet allows you to gradually and effectively follow the dietto end.
Protein Diet Recipes
As you know, a protein diet is based on the complete or partial exclusion of carbohydrates from your body. The basis of your diet should be white meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. In more economical versions of such a diet, vegetables and nuts are allowed. You can't really clean up a rigid weight loss system. For a week, and sometimes longer, you need to eat just boiled eggs, fish, and chicken every day.
As you can understand, the following recipes are more suitable for saving and more diverse in terms of allowable products. They are based on protein products, but some ingredients can be added to improve the taste, which is a bit outside of the nutritional principles of a rigid protein diet.
First meal
Egg Cream Soup
Ingredients:
- 400 g chicken or turkey breast
- 300-400 g spinach,
- 2 boiled eggs,
- 150ml milk
- Spices,
- Salt,
- sprig of parsley.
Cook the meat with bay leaves, peppercorns and herbs de Provence in 2-2. 5 liters of water until soft. Remove the meat and cut into cubes. Add the chopped spinach to the broth and cook until soft. Place soup, milk in blender bowl, add meat and chopped eggs and beat until creamy. Serve immediately, garnished with a sprig of parsley and half a boiled egg.
Nutritious Fish Soup
- 400 g fillet of any white fish,
- 1 red onion
- 400 g cauliflower,
- lemon juice,
- Pepper,
- Salt,
- natural yoghurt (optional)
Disassemble cauliflower, peel, cut into small pieces. Cut the fish into large cubes. Cut the onion into thin half rings. Put everything in a saucepan, fill with water and cook until soft. Before serving, add salt, pepper, lemon juice if desired, and a few tablespoons of Greek yogurt.
Soup with chicken meatballs
- 300 g minced chicken,
- 2 squirrels,
- 1 tablespoon bran,
- vegetable broth (from celery or cauliflower with onions),
- 5 sticks of spring onions
- 1 small onion
- salt and spices.
Mix the minced meat, squirrels, bran and finely ground onions, form meatballs the size of a small chestnut. Add meatballs, bay leaf, 5 black peppercorns to the boiling broth, cook until tender. Before serving, garnish the soup with finely chopped spring onions.
Results and reviews after a protein diet
The results before and after the diet are impressive - you can lose up to 5 kilograms in just one week, depending on your initial weight and activity level. Because protein-rich foods saturate the body well with energy, it's best to combine diet with exercise for maximum effect.
The reviews are both positive and negative. For many, the diet did not suit - against the background of the lack of vitamins and trace elements, some people who lost weight developed dizziness and weakness. Despite this, every person who has followed this diet has lost weight.
Contraindications to protein diet
Before this diet, make a mandatory medical examination, because the protein diet is not allowed for everyone and is completely forbidden:
- with deviations in the work of the heart (with arrhythmias) and one of its diseases,
- hepatitis and any liver disease,
- during breastfeeding and during pregnancy,
- with renal dysfunction
- if you have joint pain or related diseases,
- with colitis, dysbacteriosis, chronic pancreatitis and a number of other diseases of the digestive system,
- Diet increases the risk of thrombosis and is therefore not recommended in the elderly,
- with a duration of more than 4 weeks.
Protein Diet Options
Many modern diets are based on the principle of protein nutrition. Consider the most popular options.
protein carbohydrate diet
Its essence is that protein days alternate with carbohydrate days, that is, on one day you eat exclusively protein foods, on the other complex carbohydrates. This diet option is considered more balanced and can be followed for more than two weeks. Usually, such a diet is resorted to after a pure protein diet to consolidate the result.
Atkins diet
Also known as the Hollywood Diet, which has become a favorite of many Hollywood stars. The one from Dr. Atkins compiled nutritional basis is the use of predominantly protein foods, high-calorie fatty foods are also allowed, but carbohydrates are excluded.
Protein Diet by Dr. Pierre Ducan
The most popular protein diet is the Dukan diet. This is the very system of proper nutrition that must be followed for the rest of your life. According to modern nutritionists, the best diet for weight loss is one that you can comfortably follow without feeling hungry, without suffering from weakness, and without worrying about calorie counts.
Protein Diet Recommendations
Given the disadvantages of this method of losing weight, we have prepared for you recommendations that will allow you to minimize the negative consequences for your body and only benefit from the diet:
- First and foremost, you should not overdo the diet. Remember that the measure is needed in everything: do not completely exclude carbohydrates and fats from the diet. If after a week of dieting you decide to continue losing weight, then do not sit on such a diet for more than a month, and then take a break of 2-3 months.
- Since the protein diet for weight loss for 7 days puts a lot of strain on the kidneys, eat more vegetables.
- Eat at least 4 small meals a day.
- The last meal should be no later than 2 hours before bedtime.
- To avoid problems with defecation, observe the water regime - you need to drink at least 1. 5 liters of clean water per day.
- Do not exceed the daily calorie intake of 1500 kcal.
- Choose quality products! Remember that the quality of food is a very important condition for losing weight.
- If you include eggs in your diet, don't eat more than 4 eggs per day. This is especially true of egg yolks, which are mostly fat and raise cholesterol levels.
- Proteins in a duet with carbohydrates are better absorbed. If you eat cooked chicken breasts, add some steamed cauliflower to your plate. However, it is better to introduce carbohydrates in the middle of the day at lunchtime.
- If your goal is not only to lose weight, but also to gain muscle mass, remember that muscle grows precisely from a power load.
- In order to avoid a lack of nutrients, it is recommended to take vitamins during weight loss.